Various electronic cage structures are known in the art, with examples defined in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,231,785 and 4,984,133, and also described in International Business Machines Corporation Technical Disclosure Bulletins Vol. 27, No. 7B (Dec., 1984), pp., 4218-4221 and Vol. 31, No. 7, (Dec., 1988), pp. 364-369. Typically, these structures are comprised of several individual pieces, usually metal (e.g., aluminum, stainless steel), formed to the desired configuration by known metal working techniques (e.g., stamping, casting, etc.). Assembly is thus necessary to join these pieces to form the final desired structure, such assembly often requiring even further elements (e.g., screws, nuts, bolts) to secure various pieces. Should additional strength be necessary at various locations in the structure (e.g., to provide component guide means, added structural support for facilitation of cage securement to an associate frame, etc.), additional reinforcement elements are typically added for this purpose. The result is a finished structure, which, understandably, is relatively heavy as well as relatively time-consuming and otherwise expensive to produce. Because several individual elements are required, tolerance control has also been somewhat difficult to maintain, which control is particularly important in such structures (e.g., for aligning various internal components). Such structures have heretofore also typically been relatively difficult to access the internal areas thereof (e.g., in the event of repair) due primarily to the need for time-consuming disassembly operations.
It is believed, therefore, that an electronic cage which overcomes the various disadvantages associated with cages such as described above would constitute a significant advancement in the art.